Honeymoon Bliss, page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
An Excerpt from Baby Steps
Booklist
About The Author
Acknowledgements
Honeymoon Bliss
(Honeymoon Series, Book 4)
Lily Zante
Author’s Note
‘Honeymoon Bliss’ is the fourth book in the ‘Honeymoon Series’.
I have written a spin-off series called the ‘Italian Summer Series’ which tells the stories of some of the minor characters who first appeared in the ‘Honeymoon Series’.
The timelines of both series are connected and you can find the recommended reading order here.
Other books:
Honeymoon Series:
Honeymoon For One
Honeymoon For Three
Honeymoon Blues
Honeymoon Bliss
Baby Steps
Honeymoon Series (Books 1-4)
Italian Summer Series:
(A spin-off from the Honeymoon Series)
It Takes Two
All That Glitters
Fool’s Gold
Roman Encounter
November Sun
New Beginnings
Italian Summer Series (Books 1-4)
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Chapter 1
“Nico, I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it to your wedding.”
Hot on the tails of Bruno telling him about the problems with the treatment rooms in the new spa center, one of his closest friends not coming to the wedding was the least of his problems.
“That’s a shame,” Nico replied, slowly. He’d been looking forward to meeting up with his friend.
“I hate to let you down like this, especially since you asked me to be your best man, but Chiara’s ankle is bad, she was lucky not to have broken it, and there’s no-one to look after the twins.”
“Your wife comes first,” replied Nico, understanding the man’s dilemma. “Don’t even worry about the wedding. What happened?”
“She fell down the stairs last night while carrying up the laundry. She’s resting now but the twins are running riot. You know what they’re like. I’m sorry if I’ve left you stranded.”
“No,” said Nico, closing his eyes. “Please don’t worry about it.” He wondered who else he could ask. “You take care of Chiara and the twins and you take it easy.” If such a thing were possible. “I hope we can all meet up sometime.”
Nico didn’t have such a tight knit circle of friends; from his younger days he’d had many hangers-on, had known many women, but when it came to close friends and people he could trust, he could count them all on one hand. Romano was one such person, they went back a long time, and had been his first choice for a best man.
Now he was a best man short.
He stared at the wall in front of him, at the picture of his father that hung there, as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. He tried to think who else could stand in Romano’s place.
The memory of his father still held strong in this room which had once been Edmondo’s office before Nico had taken it over. He felt his father’s spirit strongly in here, as if his essence was imprinted everywhere within the four walls and ingrained upon the leather chair in which he now sat. Deep in thought, he clasped his hands together; not quite praying, but sitting in silent rememberance.
A faint knock at the door was followed by the slow opening of it and instead of Ava entering, as he’d expected, he was surprised to see his future mother-in-law, Elsa, walk in.
“There you are,” she said, as if she expected him to be somewhere else. “Why so glum? That’s not how a prospective bridegroom should look. It’s time for you and Ava to get ready for this big day of yours.”
He attempted a smile and watched as she walked over to examine the photo of his father. She always did this, as if she was drawn towards it. He’d put it up there but wasn’t sure he liked to see his father staring back at him all day long, watching over him with an almost stern expression on his face. Yet sometimes, even looking at that stern face gave Nico comfort.
Edmondo was never far from his thoughts, and having that photo close by always took Nico back in time to memories that were tinged with sadness. He tried not to show his grief to others, but he missed his father sorely and knew that only time would heal the wound left by his untimely death.
“There is so much of you in him,” Elsa said quietly, still staring at the picture.
“There is so much of him I want to be like.”
She turned and faced him. “You are like him,” she insisted. “You have his warmth, his eyes, his ability to make people feel at ease, and to trust in you. You are already so much like him, Nico. Perhaps you don’t see it, but I do. I’m sure others do, too.”
He remained silent because nothing would ever bring his father back. Even though four months had passed since his death, sometimes Nico imagined his father sitting in the kitchen or the study at home and tortured himself with the thought of Edmondo walking through the door to his office. Of course, that would never happen. But it didn’t stop him from wishing.
The absence of the man he had clashed with for so long—and whose respect he had at last begun to earn—was sometimes hard for Nico to acknowledge. And there wasn’t a damn thing Nico could do about it. It made him want to hold onto Ava more tightly than ever. It taught him how much could change in one second and this thought frightened him. It was a constant reminder to him that nothing lasted forever. Even the new life Ava carried, and the new start he’d been given, could all be taken away from him in the blink of an eye.
Sadness surrounded Elsa too. This gentle woman, the mother of his fiancée, tried to mask her grief, even from him, yet it was plain for Nico to see straight through it because their grief was almost identical. He knew she still missed Edmondo and her visits back to Verona were hard for her because she lived alone and had nobody to spend her time with, nobody to distract her from her sorrow and only the memories of the golden days she’d shared with Edmondo months earlier to haunt her.
“Look at you, Nico,” she said, disapprovingly. He unclasped his hands and picked up a pen, twiddling it around in his hands.
“Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to sit here like this. You can’t bring him back, Nico. And you mustn’t let the darkness of his passing pull you down. Your father would have been happy that you and Ava were getting married.”
“I know,” replied Nico, remembering how much his father had adored Ava. “I wish he were here, that’s all.”
She looked down and nodded. “I wish he were here every day. We would have been outside the whole time. Or he would have shown me more of Verona.” She chuckled softly to herself. “If there was anything else left to show me.”
Nico swallowed. His father had died a happy man—happy for Nico, for he had seen the effect that Ava had had on him, and happy to have met Elsa—and to have shown her this wonderful city he’d loved so much.
There were times when Nico wondered, as he knew Ava did too, what might have happened between her mother and his father had a fatal heart attack not claimed his life so cruelly.
“My father had the happiest time showing you Verona,” he said, sitting up in his chair and putting the pen down. He knew he had to let go of the past so that he could embrace the future but it was always easier said than done. Ava tried to do her best to keep his mind from sinking too much into the sadness but he was aware that things weren’t so easy for her. She was juggling far more on her plate than a six month pregnant bride—soon to be married in four days’ time—ought to. “There is a lot to be done.”
Elsa laughed. “There’s not a lot to be done, but a lot of enjoyment to be had,” she said. “It’s time to get it all together. You’re getting married! I don’t understand why the pair of you find it so difficult to detach yourselves from your computers.”
He couldn’t wait for it to be over. For months he had been dealing with all the documentation and the religious paperwork required by the church where his parents were married. Despite his initial concerns, the priest had agreed to allow the ceremony with an obviously pregnant American woman. But until he had a ring on Ava’s finger and until they walked away as husband and wife, Nico would not be able to rest.
It was the wedding reception, and the long honeymoon that he was looking forward to the most.
“I was checking a few things.”
“That’s what Ava keeps telling me. How many things do you both have to check? And why is this checking taking place constantly? What will go wrong? We were far luckier in my day than you are now. We didn’t have these things,” she pointed at his computer and at his cell phone which lay on the desk. “Nobody had a computer at home, or a phone they carried around with them all day long. We got by just fine.”
“I’m sure you did,” he said, getting up and stretching out his shoulders. His body was stiff from sitting around for the past few hours without moving. He couldn’t wait to take Ava away from all of this. Just having the time to themselves—that was what he wanted more than anything.
“Come with me,” she said, and started to move towards the door. “Help me to remove your fiancée from her desk and unplug her from her computer. I think it’s going to take both of us to achieve that.”
“I think you might be right.”
Chapter 2
“I’m sorry. I…I…” Ava stammered. “No. Mi dispiace,” she apologized. “I don’t speak Italian. Non capisco. I wanted information about your furniture…um…for the children. Bambino? Parla inglese?” She rested her forehead in her hands. “Nessun problema. Ciao.” She couldn’t put the phone down fast enough. “Impossible,” she wailed, massaging her temples gently. “It is so hard trying to get through.”
“You are in Italy,” declared Rona. “It seems only fair that you speak the language.”
“I thought English was universal.”
“So what if it is? You’re in Italy and you plan on living here. I’d say it’s time you learned Italian.”
Ava groaned again.
“Do you know you put on a false Italian accent when you’re talking?”
“I do?” Ava was shocked.
“It’s not going to make them understand you.”
“I know,” Ava mumbled to herself. “I didn’t know I was doing it. Oh, god. I hope they don’t think I’m being offensive.”
“Your children will be fluent in Italian, Ava, so you might want to think about taking some lessons.” Rona pulled open the filing cabinet and rifled through it. Ava considered her sister’s advice, not that she often took it, and groaned even louder, causing Rona to drop the file she was holding. “What’s wrong?” Rona asked, looking worried.
“A new language, new places, new customs, a new life, new country, new husband and a new baby.”
Rona’s features relaxed. “I thought the baby had kicked or something. Your point?” Rona crossed her arms, waiting.
“I’m scared.”
“About what?”
“Of everything happening so fast.”
“You should have thought of that when you had unprotected sex.”
“I don’t mean about the baby,” retorted Ava. “I…” She didn’t know how to explain it. Her whole life had changed ever since she’d come to Italy and now she was taking the next step up, a real commitment, with a man who loved her. But the magnitude of the change still overwhelmed her.
“You have Nico, there’s no reason to be scared. And they also drive on the same side of the road, so that’s a bonus. One less thing to worry about.”
“Some days I miss Starbucks. Sometimes I crave Dennys and IHOP.”
“What for?” asked Rona, shooting her a confused look. “You get nicer, tastier, and classier coffees and pancakes here.”
“But it feels strange to know that I am leaving it all behind—the places I grew up in.”
“You miss Denver?” Rona picked up the file and slipped it back into the cabinet.
“I think I do, or at least, I have been lately.” This was what happened when she started to slow down at work in readiness for her wedding. Not being crazy busy gave her the time to sit and reminisce and to consider the life changing step she was about to embark on. She wasn’t only getting married, she was emigrating and bringing her children up in a new country. A country she had come to love, but a country that was still as new and as unfamiliar to her, as it was beautiful. It would be home to her children and her Italian husband, but would it ever feel like home to her? She’d thought so the whole time, had fallen in love with the place as deeply as she’d fallen in love with Nico. But now she was beginning to wonder, and the doubts had started to creep in. She would miss her mom, and Rona and Carlos and her niece, and her friends in Denver. She would see them, but perhaps once a year, maybe less?
“I’ve never seen you happier, Ava,” Rona tried to assure her. “These are just last minute wedding jitters. It’s natural.”
“But what if I’m making a mistake?”
“Marrying Nico?” Rona stared at her in surprise.
“Not Nico,” Ava replied. “He’s the one constant in my life.” She exhaled loudly. “Maybe you’re right,” Ava sighed. “Maybe I’m being nostalgic because it’s getting so close to the wedding. I keep remembering the things I’ve left behind.” She rested back in her chair and let her hands fall to her lap, as she stared down at the bump that now passed for her stomach. Being six months pregnant, it resembled the size of a small rounded watermelon. “I’m scared about the baby. I don’t know anything about babies; I’ve only looked after Tori and I must have changed her diapers a handful of times. Mom isn’t going to stay here forever. What’ll I do if I’m stuck? Who will I call?”
“You can call me.” Rona sat down at her small corner desk. “And as a mom, it’s all second nature. I didn’t have a clue but it kinda comes to you.”
Ava listened to her sister but felt a strong urge to go for a walk in the gardens and to forget her troubles.
“Hey,” Rona said in a softer voice. “What’s going on? You’re not having second thoughts about moving here, are you?” She walked over to Ava’s side and placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. Ava reached up and put her hand over it.
“No second thoughts,” she replied. “I’m happy. I really am,” but she was beginning to well up. One lousy call to a supplier whose nursery furniture she’d seen online, and a few minutes of non-communication had left her almost in tears. Lately, she’d been mulling over things. In the early days she’d been caught up in her roller coaster romance with Nico, and then she’d fallen pregnant not long after they’d met, and with the news of her pregnancy, then the shocking news of Edmondo’s passing—all of the months leading up to now had been filled with one drama after another. She’d never had time before to think about the change that had taken place in her life in the space of less than a year. But now that she was starting to slow down, with her wedding only days away, she found herself thinking too much about many things and it often left her feeling sad. She wasn’t sure why.
“Hey,” Rona kissed the top of her head.
A quick rap on the door commanded her attention as the door opened and Elsa and Nico walked in together. They both stared at her.
“What’s wrong?” they both asked in unison, as two pairs of eyes descended on her. Ava smiled. “Nothing,” she replied, staring back at Nico and feeling heat radiate through her chest. She loved the way his eyes shone full of love and concern each time he looked at her. That was all it took for her fear to disintegrate.
“Still working?” Nico asked her. She’d bet ten dollars he’d been at his desk until a minute ago.
“You told me you would stop today,” Elsa said, looking at Ava’s cluttered desk with disdain.
“It’s no use,” Rona appealed to both of them. “You’re going to have to physically remove her.”
“Ava, honey. Time to unplug and remove yourself,” said Elsa.
Nico stepped forward, the warmth emanating from his relaxed smile. “Come on, Ava. Time to go. We’ve got a few things to do yet and I’ve booked you into the spa tomorrow, once you’ve got your wedding dress fitting out of the way.”
Ava looked horrified. “But I don’t have the time—”
“And that’s exactly why you need it.”
“A bride with no time to unwind?” Elsa asked her, in that simple and effective way she had of dealing with her girls, with her usual healthy dose of common sense and kindness.
“I think you should close the office for a few days.” Rona suggested.
